


The Day of The Reapening !

by Reevesrak



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-21
Updated: 2018-09-21
Packaged: 2019-07-14 23:59:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16051262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reevesrak/pseuds/Reevesrak
Summary: With Scrooge and their Uncle Donald off on an adventure and the other inhabitants being busy, Huey, Dewey and Louie are left on their own in the manor for a few hours.But when a stranger starts ringing at the door, a couple of hours is all it takes for trouble to brew within McDuck Manor's walls.





	The Day of The Reapening !

Shops were closing, streets emptying, people going home after another busy day : welcome to 6 pm in the large city of Duckburg where all appeared peaceful as the sun drew closer to the earth in the distance. Another quiet and uneventful afternoon coming to an end for most of the common folks.

Of course, this did not apply to McDuck Manor which was buzzing with life regardless of the time. As if on cue, a loud shout of : “You missed me, dirty land-lover !” broke through the silence that had begun setting in the mansion just as the second triplet, Dewey, finished his ascension of the triple bunk bed he and his brothers slept in.

Standing on top of the red sheets with a grin the boy pointed a cutlass towards Huey, the eldest, who stood on the floor below armed with pillows and equally as confident.

“ Oh yeah ? Let’s see you dodge  _this_  ! “ The capped duckling laughed, sending one of the pillows flying at his taunting sibling with a fierce roar

Dewey, undeterred, easily moved out of the way of the bullet with a : “Nice try !” as he did. “ But you’ll have to do better than that if you want to hit the Great and Mighty Captain Dew- “

Another pillow struck him right in the face in his gloating, the Captain of the Skies falling backwards from the blow and landing on his back sprawled across the covers of the bed in defeat.

“ How did you like that, ‘ Great and Mighty Captain Dewey' ? “ Huey taunted victoriously in turn, spinning around when the door to the bedroom opened on the youngest, Louie, stepping in with a red cart in tow large enough to hold the three of them.

While Huey had a red bandanna tied around his head in place of his cap and Dewey had gone all out with the black tricorne hat, pirate hook and cutlass, Louie only wore a lazy eyepath on his right eye. T’was good enough for him.

“ Look what I found. “ he bemused, smiling smugly at both his brothers who’d perked right up at the sight of the vehicle.

 

Five minutes later and the three were going down the hallway at full speed, Dewey dragging the cart with roller skates on his feet while his brothers rode in the back and encouraged him ecstatically.

“ I’m so glad Uncle Donald and Uncle Scrooge went to that Waka-Junkie place ! They never would’ve let us do that ! “ Louie exclaimed gleefully, sitting in the back of the ship and holding onto it for dear life.

“ It’s called Waki-Waki Island actually- “ Huey corrected moments before Dewey hit the brakes all of a sudden and sent the him flying forth into his back with a surprised shriek. Cart seat belts were something that had yet to be invented, sadly enough, but his direct younger brother was as good a pillow as it got.

Huey was about to ask why they’d come to such an abrupt halt when the sound of the doorbell came to his ears, apparently originating from the backdoor which was odd since that only led to the yard and the woods behind the manor. Who would go all the way around only to ring that door instead of the front one ? And why ?

The three ducklings shared a confused glance, both of the younger ones shrugging at Huey’s inquisitive stare. They were equally as lost as him, which meant that someone should go and check it out.

“ You two stay right here, I’ll go see who it is. “ He ordered as the oldest. Louie and Dewey responded with simultaneous nods, eyes following him all the way down the stairs until he was out of view.

It was late in the day and Scrooge was gone on an adventure which meant that there was a high probability of it being Beagle Boys or some other nemesis who’d gotten wind of his great-uncle’s momentary absence and thought it smart to sneak around back. But why the ringing ? That wasn’t sneaky at all... Then again considering just how smart some of these nemesis were, Huey would’ve hardly felt surprised to open the door onto Flintheart Glomgold (no offense to him).

The bell kept on going impatiently, ding-dong ding-dong. Steadying himself as he neared the backdoor, the duckling took in a deep breathe and began mentally preparing himself to dodge nets, hands or any kind of weapon flung at him soon as he’d answer the ringing. Alright. You got this.

He reached for the key hidden beneath the doormat -which Beakley didn’t know they’d found yet- and carefully unlocked the door. The bell stopped its ruckus once his presence was made known, dying into a tense silence that felt suffocating at the time. The boy twisted the knob, slowly pulling the door open onto a towering, menacing figure he had to look up to.

Huey let out a gasp.

 

* * *

 

“ Are we there yet ? “ Donald Duck, renowned adventurer and full-time uncle, gasped as he struggled to continue trudging his way through the dense tropical wilderness of Waki-Waki Island. “ My feet are on fire. “

The merciless heat was bearing down on the poor duck even though it should’ve been evening back in Duckburg, wearing him down and making him feel bad for the poor Launchpad lagging behind who’d been carrying all the heavy equipment his uncle had brought along on their expedition.

“ Quit complainin’, yer the one who wanted tae come along. “ Scrooge dryly replied from the front, arriving atop of a hill and scanning the horizon for any interesting place to look in using his hand as a shield from the sun.

“ I never said I wanted to come along, I said I didn’t want the boys to go again ! I don’t even know what we’re looking for ! “

“ We’re looking for the Hunka-Junka. “ The rich duck turned around, leaning on his cane to explain. “ It’s tha rarest coin in the world, absolutely priceless. I’d be daft not to add it to my collection ! “

“ But- “ The pilot huffed from behind, managing to join the two ducks on the hill. “ -how do you know it’s here, Mr.McDee ? Did you come here on holidays ? “

“ Don’t be ridiculous Launchpad, holidays are nothin' more than a waste of time and money lazy employees pass as health care. “ Scrooge huffed, insulted. “ According to the papers the Hunka-Junka’s been sighted on this very island by some scientist who visited it for research. Ah’ve got tae get my hands on it before some greedy miser does ! “

“ Sure would be a shame if that happened, huh. “ Donald deadpanned.

“ Keep the comments for later, boy. I don’t pay ye to judge me but to find a lost coin, so get findin’ already. “

“ You’re not even paying me ! “ The duck protested, anger falling on deaf ears. His uncle had already started to move again, heading towards the depths of the jungle determinedly.

 

Donald’s shoulders quivered with frustration, only interrupted by a harsh smack on his back that got a startled quack out of the weary adventurer.

“ Aw don’t worry Donald. We’ll find that coin real soon, trust me ! I have a nose for those things. “ Launchpad encouraged supportively before he closed his eyes and began sniffing the air with great focus, the way a bloodhound would. It looked like he'd found a trail, too ! ...For approximately five seconds, give or take.

Eventually he ended up tripping over his own feet when he neared the slope and began rolling all the way downhill with a surprised shout, losing gear as he went. Donald watched in resignation, a deep sigh escaping his bill before he too followed behind, picking up some of the equipment left in the pilot’s wake.

At least the kids were back safe at the manor and probably watching TV or playing a game instead of enduring all this, Donald thought, gathering a pan from the floor. The comforting thought kept him going.

 

* * *

 

Louie felt his gut twist itself into a knot, eyes glued to the monstrous form standing by his brother whose face had contorted into bliss incarnate and who now held a poorly woven basket of flowers and pine cones in his arms.

“ Look who came to visit us ! “ Huey had shouted when he’d dragged this beast, bigger than the previous one he’d found, all the way up the stairs to where he and Dewey had been waiting.

“ He brought us gifts from the woods ! “ The duckling continued, extending the basket towards them like it was a priceless relic. “ It has to be one of Tenderfeet’s relatives thanking us for sending him home. Isn’t this exciting ?! “

Dewey squealed excitedly, joining his older brother into the celebration without an ounce of hesitation : “ Hahaha ! That is  _so_  awesome, he’s even bigger than Tenderfeet ! Louie look at him ! “

But Louie didn’t join in the festivities, instead cowering uncertainly in the cart he’d been seating in and watching the situation unfold in a silent panic. He’d had one bad experience with a big foot; another, _bigger_ one was nothing but certain trouble. The way this ‘Biggerfeet’ glared down at him, fully uncaring of his brothers petting and hugging its legs, was enough of a confirmation of his doubts too.

How did they not see that ?!

“ Let’s show him around the mansion ! We still got a couple of hours until Mrs.B comes back from that secret ghost training thing with Webby and Duckworth, so we don’t even have to hide this time. “ Dewey proposed, met with an energetic nod from Huey.

“ That’s a great idea ! How about we start with- “

“ Wait wait wait, hold the phone ! “ Louie interfered, getting out of the cart and gesturing wildly towards the gigantic furry beast standing besides them who looked positively annoyed by all this. “ We can’t just take that thing around the house I mean- What about the majestic powers of the woods ? Have we learned nothing from Tenderfeet ? “

“ That is true... “ Huey conceded, slightly distraught.

“ Nah don’t worry guys. “ The middle child reassured. “ Tenderfeet only started losing hair after a while, right ? So we can show this guy around, grab a couple of snacks and send him off before anything happens. He’ll be fine ! “

“ You do have a point. If we get him back before he runs out of mystical energy, it shouldn’t put him in any sort of danger. “

“ But what if he loses hair everywhere ? Beakley’ll notice ! “ The hoodied duck insisted but it was too late. His brothers were already dragging the big foot off, eager smiles on their beaks as the creature followed passively with a grunt. Not as good an actor as Gavin, was it ? Still; Louie hated this. He didn’t know what that thing was there for and he also wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out...

 

They took ‘NotGavin' all over the place. Showing him their bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, the study, everywhere except the garage in which Mrs.Beakley and the others were supposedly practicing real-time spirit fighting with Duckworth's assistance and had thus asked not to be bothered unless the house was on fire. At some point Dewey had decided to escalate their new friend’s fur and cling onto the back of his head with glee, Huey leading the way and telling the beast all about technology and the wonders of flushing

Look at that water. It disappears with a push of a button and then reappears. Impressive, isn’t it ?

Louie trailed behind the group, hands in his pockets and eye patch long since discarded. It was nice that they were having fun, he guessed, but the occasional glance from the big foot sent shivers down his spine so he’d taken to keeping his eyes on the floor, try and ignore it as best as possible.

Ultimately they’d all taken a break in the large TV room on the first floor of the mansion and hadn't yet found any new activity to partake in, seeing how the eldest triplet and the middle one were now arguing over what kind of show was the best to watch on a lazy afternoon while Louie and their new friend sat on the couch, the former keeping as far as possible from the latter as he could.

The pointless banter was cut short when Dewey’s stomach growled unceremoniously, directing their attention to the fact that they had been getting hungry playing games and going all over the place for the past hour. Huey looked at the clock, its hands indicating 8:20 pm.

“ I’ll go get us some snacks. You two keep our guest busy until I get back, okay ? It’ll only take a minute. “ He ordered, but Louie immediately leaped off the couch with a shout of : “ I’ll come with you ! “

The eldest gave a casual shrug, not minding the tag-along. More hands to carry with, he thought, and soon the two ducklings were on their way to the kitchen leaving Dewey as the one to keep their furry friend busy. Hopefully he wouldn’t drive him too mad with his incessant blabbering.

 

“ Huey we gotta get that thing out of the house already, it’s not a pet. You can’t keep treating it like it is. “ The youngest began, following into the kitchen and watching with worry his sibling search the cabinets for biscuits and other kinds of snacks.

“ We’re not treating Gentlefeet like a pet, we’re being considerate hosts. “ Huey chuckled, hoping to be reassuring. Louie didn’t see it as anything close to comforting.

“ You gave it a name ! You’re totally getting attached again ! “

“ And  _you_  sound like you’re getting jealous again. “ The red clad duckling snapped, shutting a closet to look at his brother in annoyance. “ We know we can’t keep him forever but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy our time together while it lasts. Why do you always have to make it all about you ? “

“ You guys don’t even have any idea what that thing’s really here for ! You just saw it show up at the door with pinecones and flowers and let it in with open arms like it’s not a gigantic monster ! “

“ You’re being ridiculous. This is all because we like him better than you and you can’t accept that. “

“ It’s because I don’t want my  _bones_  crushed to a pulp, Hubert. You’re not listening to me ! “

“ What reason could Gentlefeet possibly have to attack you ? See, you’re not making any sense Louie ! I can’t listen to you when all you do is spout off nonsense like that ! “ Huey was growing impatient with the youngest's attitude, which started to showed.

“ It’s only nonsense because I can’t ever tell you  _anything_  ! You two idiots would rather trust some forest monster you met a hour ago over your own brother and then you go and make  _me_  look like the bad guy ! “ Louie accused, throwing his arms wildly in exasperation. Just how thick-headed could his brother be ?!

“ At least forest monsters don’t lie to us on a daily basis. “ The other had parried harshly. “ We can never believe anything you say because you’re always making stuff up all the time, so how do we ever know when you’re not ?! “

Louie threw his glare off to the floor at that. He opened his beak for a small second, looking like he wanted to argue, before shutting it again and lowering his head between his already tense shoulders, arms crossed defensively.

“ Answer me Louie. “ Huey pressed on, letting his temper get the better of him. “ Do we guess ? Is that it, do we have to guess and hope that  _this_  time we can trust what you’re saying ? Is that what we should do now ? Just tell me. Tell me Louie, I’m listening now, go on, tell me how I’m supposed to trust you. Or are you gonna say I wouldn't understand anyways and shrug me off like you _always_ do ?! “

“ Guys, what are you doing ? “ The voice of the middle child interrupted, sounding as lost as he looked standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “ We could hear you all the way from the TV room, what are you fighting about ? “

“ It’s nothing. “ Louie replied dryly, voice caught in his throat from all the anger and hurt swirling inside his chest. Dewey tilted his head in confusion in a sign that this didn’t really tell him anything, but no further explanation came.

“ I’m going back to our room. You two have fun with your new best friend. “ He mumbled, giving Huey a harsh shoulder shove on his way out of the room. The older triplet glared for a bit, his eyes following the other as he left the room, fighting against the urge to stop him so they could discuss this further. No use adding fuel to the fire now.

They’d talk about it later.

 

* * *

 

“ _You can’t be serious. “_

Straining his neck to look at the top of the gigantic, approximately 9 feet tall stone contraption from down below, Donald couldn’t believe what he was seeing even though he couldn’t possibly miss it. No, there was no way, he thought, that  _this_  was the Hunka-Junka they’d been after.

It was nothing more than a massive, monstrous rock vaguely shaped like a coin with a hole in the center abandoned in the middle of nowhere. Standing there on its side casting a dark yet welcome shadow over the trio of travelers.

“ That’s a pretty big coin... I don’t think it’s gonna fit inside a vending machine. “ A certain pilot commented, scratching his head skeptically by the duck’s side.

“ Of course it wouldn’t Launchpad, it was made before vending machines even existed. “ Scrooge explained, going in a circle around the coin pensively. Donald shook his head as he asked in disarray : 

“ And how are we supposed to carry that thing all the way back to the plane ? By making it roll it all the way there ? “

“ Nae need to worry so much. “ His uncle reassured with a knowing voice, almost smugly. “ We’ll just get back to the plane, fly above it, bring down a rope, tie the blasted thing up then carry it off back to Duckburg. It’s too heavy to push up the hill we crossed anyways. “

“ Hey that’s weird. Since when did your expeditions get easy ? “ His nephew commented in surprise.

“ What are ye on about now, lad ? Not all adventures hafta be life-threatening, although it does make them much more interesting if you ask me. “

“ Well I still remember clearly the day you pushed me through some hoodoo-voodoo vortex and I had to spend the rest of the day  _and_  night stuck inside of a melting ice cube. “

“ Ye know we had no choice. If I hadn’t done that we’d still be seein’ sheep showing up in our refrigerators as we speak ! “ Scrooge protested.

“ And what about the Rub Al Khali ? “ Donald continued, tapping his foot.

“ It’s not mah fault if that dirty, thieving, good-for-nothin’ scoundrel of a man messed up our plane and left us stranded in the middle of the desert ! “

“ What I’m saying is : it’s never been easy with you. You turn picnics into life or death situations so... I’m surprised is all. “ the sailor explained, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“ I don’t go off runnin’ after villains or ghosts anymore, Donald, I got the kids tae look after half the time. Not to mention Launchpad. “

The ducks turned their attention towards the pilot at that, watching him take a seat against the Hunka-Junka in order to rest thus causing the coin’s fragile balance to be thrown off and making it fall on its side in a thunderous crash strong enough to shake the earth.

Launchpad jumped to his feet with a nervous look on his face, sending a : “ Don’t worry Mr.McDee, I’ll get it back up, hold on ! “ in their way before vainly attempting to lift the 9 feet tall contraption off the ground again. The rich duck sighed profoundly, his point now made, and then continued :

“ Look, we may run into a couple ae demons here and there but they’re never in any real danger ye know ? Not while ah’m around. Ah’d never let anything happen to them. “

“ Maybe I have been worrying too much lately... Even though I knew they could handle themselves, I still couldn't find it in me to really trust you with them. I'm sorry, Uncle Scrooge.“ Donald confessed, feeling a little embarrassed to admit it. His uncle wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in closer with a laugh in a rare display of camaraderie.

“ Ah dinnae worry boy, it’s completely understandable. I wouldnae trust meself either if I was in your place. “ He reassured. “ Now what say we get back to that plane, nab that coin and head back home before it’s mornin’ there ? Ah’d hate tae miss my morning tea after all. “

“ Alright. Let’s go home. “  The younger duck agreed, returning the smile to his uncle and letting the relief of talking things out spread over him while Scrooge let go in favor of getting Launchpad to stop tiring himself out trying to lift that bloody coin.

 

Soon enough they were all set to start heading back towards the plane and into the jungle with their equipment on their shoulders as well as a global idea of where they had to go. Uncle and nephew grinning at each other at the front of the group, beginning to speak of stories they had with the boys until a wall of blades came into view right under their beaks.

Seemed like a good twenty of natives, all wearing masks that made them hardly look well-intended and armed with pointy spears directed at the birds, had a shared distaste for tourists they now displayed in full force.

Donald and Scrooge shared a tired glance.

“ Ye take back everythin’ ? “

“ I take back everything. “

“ That’s fair. “

 

* * *

   
Back at the mansion, in the triplet’s shared bedroom, a messy lump of green sheets had hidden itself away from the rest of the world to become one with the bed and stare at a phone screen in the dark until their ‘guest’ decided to leave. Louie didn’t need pity. He didn’t need comfort. He only wanted a little time alone to gather his thoughts and calm his fuming mind down.

“ Am I dishonest ? Yes. ” He admitted to himself, sitting up on the edge of the mattress to better ramble.

“ Do I lie a lot ? Can’t deny that. Do I love tricking my family into doing things for me ? Of course ! That’s what baby brothers are for ! “

Act cute, shed a few crocodile tears and get away with stuff, that’s the one perk of being the youngest triplet ! No one ever relied on him when Huey was around, no one ever asked him to do stuff with Dewey up and ready to charge blindly into action, they hardly even needed him to look stuff up on internet anymore with Webby and her infinite knowledge of all things ancient and mystical so what else did he have but cons and tricks ?

“ It’s all their fault. “ He pursued, crossing his arms pettily. “ Stupid Huey, stupid Dewey trusting the first monster showing up at their doorstep with pansies over their own brother who they grew up with. Is it my fault if no one can really trust what I say ? “ Louie paused, thinking for a second on how to answer that.

“ _Probably_  ! “ he ended up admitting reluctantly. ...Okay no it  _was_  totally his fault but he’d be damned for admitting that outright, stubborn as he was.

“ Ugh this is so annoying... What am I supposed to do now ? Apologize ? “ He asked to no one in particular. “ Bleh, doing the right thing again... “ the duckling quivered in genuine disgust, burying his face into his palms with a groan.

As he despaired over moral choices, the familiar sound of the door’s rusty hinges being put to work then closed again made him raise his eyes to floor level with a whole new level of apprehension settling in his stomach. He didn’t look to see who it was, knowing full well it had to be one of his siblings checking up on him to see if he was okay.

“ Go away, I don’t wanna talk right now. “ the boy dismissed bluntly, awaiting whoever the other was to start insisting and probing at him.

No answer came.

With confusion, the boy dragged his gaze along the floor towards the room’s entrance until it had landed onto the tall, menacing figure of the big foot himself looking down on him with yellow irises that sent an immediate shiver down his spine soon as he made eye contact..

“ Hehe... You ! “ Louie began nervously, straightening up with a forced smile. “ What are you doing here, uh- Buddy ? You should be with the others, they must be looking for you everywhere. “

Gentlefeet took to shifting from one foot to the other, expression morphing into one of uncertainty as he stood awkwardly there and seemed hesitant on what to do next. Louie caught this odd behavior and seemed to relax slightly, reassuring :

“ I know you guys can talk if that’s what you’re worried about. “

“ Oh thank goodness. “

With a loud sigh of relief, the creature rubbed a hand across his face and let himself drop the menacing act in favor of taking a comfortable seat on the wooden floor. “ I really couldn’t bring myself to do the whole ‘rawr rawr rawr’ thing Gavin told me I had to do and this was all _so_ very awkward. “ He whine with understandable distress.

“ Must’ve been, you don’t look like the conning type. “ The green duckling pointed out. “ So what’re you doing here ? To get revenge for that guy ? “

“ Ya guessed it. “ Gentlefeet gave a nod. “ He’s been bothering me to punt you into the ground since you got him kicked out of the house and shaved his hair, you know how siblings get. Always whining and asking you to do stuff ? “

“ I guess... “

“ I had to wait ‘til you guys were alone and make up that embarrassing basket of flowers and pinecones and stuff, I can’t even believe that  _worked_. These guys are not smart. And they named me what, Gentlefeet ? What kind of name is _that_ ? “ The big foot laughed, Louie joining in with a small chuckle.

“ Wait so what’s your name then ? “

“ Marvin. “

“ Uh, not as bad as I thought. “ The young duck conceded. “ But I get what you mean, I have no idea where they’d be without me keeping them away from that kind of stuff. And the worst is that they complain about it too ! “

“ That doesn’t sound right. “

“ I know ! I work my pot off to keep them safe from fake discounts and signing shady deals and whatnot and all I ask in return is a little respect but all I get is unfair and unwarranted judgement ! “

 “ Well, have you tried telling them how you feel ? It’s not like they can guess that sort of stuff, they're not some kind of gods or whatever. “

“ Pfft, like they’d listen to me. They think they’re so much better and so much smarter than me just because they're older. “ Louie huffed, crossing his arms tightly once more.

“ Okay look uh... Greenie ? I dunno what kind of history you guys have but if my little bro was troubled about something and never told me about it, I know I’d get upset for sure. “ Marvin began explaining.

“ And even if I know he lies a bunch and all that, you can tell when someone’s being honest about those kind of things. And it’s really not cool to start thinking that they don’t trust you enough to talk it out too. Like you try to reach out to them but all they do is- I don't know, shut themselves off even more for some reason and then you have no idea what to do about it at all. “

“ It’s not that I don’t trust them it’s just... “ Louie hesitated, directing his glance towards the floor in uncertainty. “ They’d never believe me even if I tried to talk to them, I’m sure. “

“ Hey they’re your brothers, they’ll listen to you. And even if they don’t believe you at first you’ll feel better giving it a shot and telling them what’s eating at ya rather than keeping it all bottled up like that. Trust me. I got three baby bros and one older sister, I know how those things go. “ Marvin assured, before getting off the floor to move in closer to Louie and put a large, heavy hand on his shoulder supportively.

“ Just go for it, they’ll understand. I swear. “ he finished softly.

“ Thanks Marvin... “ Louie sniffled, rubbing small tears out of his eyes before they could fall. “ I’ll try. “

“ That’s the spirit ! “ The big foot let go of the duckling, grinning proudly before catching himself.

He'd forgotten but he still had a thing to do ! Now that was kind of awkward huh...

“ Oh right... I _do_ still need to crush you and send a picture of it to Gavin. Really sorry about that buddy. Promise I'll go soft on ya. “

“ Wait wha-? “ Before he could blink away the last few drops blurring his vision, Louie instinctively threw himself off the bed moments before two massive fists came down on the very spot he’d been sitting at, effectively crushing his bunk in little bits of woods and mattress stuffing spread all over.

Sprawled on the ground, the duckling confusedly spun around with panic overtaking his body in order to look up at the threatening mass of muscles, towering above his small frame, who’d turned its attention to him and was ready to deal the next blow already, fists raised high above its head.

“ Stay still man, I don’t wanna hurt you too bad ! “ Marvin tried to order, pretty uncomfortable about the whole thing now. But Louie didn’t really feel like getting beaten to a pulp that day even if it was by a new friend, so he tried turning to old strategies to get out of this pinch he suddenly found himself in :

“ Look, a distraction ! “ The boy suddenly yelled, pointing in direction of the window as if there was something interesting going on over there. The attempt was only met by the big foot raising a skeptic brow at him, which caused him to nervously grin and explain : “ In my defense, it worked last time I did it. “

The creature growled, readying itself again to deal the devastating blow onto its prey. The boy let out a terrified scream, shutting his eyes tightly so he wouldn’t have to see what’d come next as he only had seconds left to live and regret that the last thing he’d done in his life was argue with Huey.

He was sorry. He was so sorry !

He didn't want to be flattened by a big foot named Marvin in his great-uncle's own mansion, he still had a whole life full of money and delicious grapes ahead of him !

**Someone save him !**

 

_“ Oh no you don’t ! “_

With the slam of the door and an outraged tone, Dewey’s voice caught the attention the attacker and the attacked beneath as they both turned to look his way in surprise and confusion. The second born took a running start, letting out a warcry as he did, before launching himself onto Marvin’s back and clinging onto the beast’s hair as best he could while fighting against the other’s attempts to get him of his back.

Huey rushed past the two in favor of helping the hoodied duckling up, traits laced with worry and mind full of questions that poured out of his beak : “ Louie, are you okay ? Did he hurt you ? What happened ?! “

“ I-I’m fine, I think- “ The youngest began, stepping away from the scuffle going on right besides them with a yelp.

“ I’m so sorry, I should’ve listened to you when you told me not to trust Gentlefeet. “ The eldest apologized, looking as guilty as he sounded. “ I got a little carried away and said all those things back then to you and I swear I didn’t mean- “

“ No, it was my fault too. “ Louie protested, speaking with uncharacteristic sincerity. “ I know I lie a lot and get you guys to do stuff for me all the time, and then when I should tell you things I don’t so you never know how I feel but- “

“ Hey ! Do you guys mind ?! “ Dewey screamed from his precarious ride on the big foot’s back, still fighting to not let go while the creature shook and jumped and tried to reach for him with clawed hands, roaring threateningly as it did.

“ Oh right. “ Huey said.

“ Sorry ‘bout that. “ Louie agreed at the same time, looking expectantly at the eldest for a plan. “ So what do we do about this ?! “

“ I don’t know ! If we knew why he was trying to kill you then maybe we could figure something out to calm him down but it’s not like he can tell us ! “

“ That won’t help us ! He’s just here because I kicked his brother out of the house and now he needs a picture of me being crushed to get him to shut up ! Oh. Wait a minute. Actually that  _does_  help us. “ Louie stopped, putting a hand to his chin in realization.

This could work.

“ His brother ? What brother ? “ Pressed the other, having no clue what he was talking about, only to be stopped by a finger in his face.

“ We’ll talk about that later, I just got an idea. Dewey you keep him busy ! Huey with me ! “ The green duckling commanded firmly, grabbing the confused red duckling by the hand to drag him off in the back.

Dewey gave a confident : “ Leave it to me ! “ without the need to ask any sort of question about their supposed plan, giving a grunt of effort when he decided to scale up the beast and cover its eyes from behind in order to blind it. The big foot let out a mighty growl of annoyance, easily reaching for the young duck on the back of his head and grabbing him by the shirt to hold him away from his face.

The boy struggled in the air, throwing punches vainly, yelling : “ Put me down ! Put me down right now or I’ll- I’ll get angry, I swear ! You don’t wanna see me angry ! “

“ I don’t have time for this. “ Marvin rolled his eyes, throwing the annoying brat dismissively in some random way before turning his focus back to the hoodied one so he could get this done already. Where was he ?

Before he could fully turn around, however, Dewey had already bounced back and attached himself to the monster’s leg like some sort of feathery leech. Growing steadily annoyed by the blue one’s clinginess, Marvin started shaking his limb vainly to get him off of him before reaching to pull on the duckling’s shirt again. This time Dewey clung harder, making it more daunting to detach him from the furry leg even with the big foot’s mighty strength. It let out a deeply fed up growl after a few beats, ripping the duck off with all its might and throwing him much harder than before against the entrance door. Dewey found the wind knocked out of him as his back slammed against the wood with great force. His small frame collapsed to the floor limply after the fact.

Mad and having grown quite tired of this little game, Marvin didn’t lose time staring at the blue kid’s form before going back to what he was here for in the first place. A flash of green caught the creature’s attention from the corner of his eyes and, before it got the chance to move out the way, the big foot had leaped from its spot with a fierce roar.

Its target found itself rapidly and brutally smashed by two heavy fists landing on top of it, the floorboards snapping into pieces from the impact.

White feathers flew everywhere around them. Soon, as peaceful and gentle as snowflakes in winter, they begun falling lightly onto what was left of a white and orange lump harboring a green hoodie that made itself visible once the attacker had removed his hands. Marvin recoiled at the sight, his expression shifting to one of shock.

“ Oh wait- I-I didn’t mean to go  _that_  hard ! “ he exclaimed, taking a few uncertain steps back.

 

From behind the beast, Dewey stared.

His beak hung half-open breathlessly, no word, not a sound. No. He only stared at the scene now unfolding in front of him. He couldn’t move; it was like all the air had been sucked out of the room. A mess of white static had filled his ears and left him dizzy and frozen on the spot.

Soon, however, instincts took over as he rushed to his brother’s side with a scream.

“ **LOUIE !! “**

Dewey shoved the hesitating big foot out of his way as he sprinted to kneel by the feathery body lowered into the floor, finding himself at a complete loss of what to do. Teary-eyed and out of breath, the boy didn’t dare try and shake the youngest even carefully, too scared to touch his remains. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do, trembling and panicking and what  _could_  he do ?! This couldn’t be happening, this had to be a joke or something, it couldn’t-

Marvin looked guiltily at the heart-wrenching sight, feeling like he was way out of place and should’ve really gotten going now that his job was done. Living up to those feelings the big foot took out his phone, snapped a picture really fast and quietly exited the room to leave Dewey to mourn his loss. He really didn’t feel proud at all about this, carrying the burden of his actions all the way back to the woods under the darkening skies above.

Left behind with only his thoughts and the body of his brother, Dewey dug his face into his hands to let out fat, ugly tears of grief.

“ Oh Louie I’m so,  _so_  sorry... I-I couldn’t keep him distracted and I failed and now- “ He sniffled repeatedly, trying to catch his breath between sobs. “ Now you’re in Pancakeville...! “

“ Pancakeville sounds like a cool place. “ Louie replied amusedly. Dewey shook his head and rubbed at his red, wet eyes sloppily.

“ I can still hear his voice... “ He whispered to himself dramatically, which was met by unexpectedly lighthearted giggles from behind him.

“ Dewey, will you turn around ? “ Huey asked, struggling to not laugh at his brother’s misery too much.

When the young boy obliged and turned to look at the oldest with another sniffle he found both of them standing there, watching him with big smiles on their beaks, the youngest very much alive and well albeit naked. Dewey blinked in shock and confusion, struggling to process what he was seeing.

“ Louie ? Is that really you...? “ He questioned in disbelief.

“ Mhm. “ Louie hummed with a calm nod. “ Still alive, not in Pancakeville. “

“ But  _how_  ?! You’re- ! “

The middle child gestured towards the pile of feathers and crushed clothing, which Huey had approached in order to retrieve his brother’s green hoodie from the mess and shake a couple debris off of it.

“ We just took a couple of pillows, drew a beak with orange crayon and slipped Louie’s hoodie onto it in order to trick Gentlefeet. We’re sorry we scared you. “ He explained apologetically.

“ Huey’s terrible at acting and we didn’t want that guy to realize it was all a con, so we thought if we tricked you too then he’d feel too bad to check whether it really was me or not. “ The youngest continued, taking the hoodie handed to him to slip it back on and cover himself up again.

“ I’m not that bad at acting ! “

“ _Who’s Dewey ? “_

“ That was lying, that’s completely different ! “ Huey pouted, crossing his arms.

Louie chuckled at the other’s attitude, about to retort only to be startled by a pair of fists gently bumping against his back repeatedly without enough strength to do any sort of real harm. Dewey was trying to hit him pathetically, arms feeling as limp as noodles.

“ You guys are jerks ! “ He wailed, voice cracking from raw emotion. “ I thought- I thought you  _died_! I hate you ! Stupid, stupid, stupid...! “

Dewey continued his hitting in upsetment, sobbing uncontrollably. Huey and Louie shared a glance, smiling softly and silently agreeing to hold their crying brother in a warm embrace to comfort him.

“ I hate you guys so much... “ The middle child whispered as he clung onto Louie’s hoodie tightly, the two of them safe in Huey’s arms keeping them close together. They remained like this for a moment, maybe seconds, maybe minutes spent blissfully basking in the reminder that they were all there, together as a team and family, safe and sound.

 

* * *

 

In the morning of the day that followed, all three duck brothers were still talking about the events they’d just lived through on their way to the dining hall for breakfast. Some had a difficult time coming to terms with the truth than others.

“ I still can’t believe Tenderfeet wasn’t our friend... “ Huey mourned, looking at the carpet beneath their feet plaintively. Dewey put a hand on his back for support with a small smile.

“ It happens. “ Louie shrugged dismissively. “ Sometimes people aren’t who they say they are, you’ll learn. “

“ But he threatened you  _and_  us ! “ The capped boy protested. “ And we were both so mean towards you without knowing anything just because we assumed you were jealous. How could you ever forgive us for that ? “

“ Mhh... Make it a can of Pep each plus all my cleaning duties for next week and I’ll call it even. Family discount. You’re welcome. “ Louie grinned, taking full advantage of the situation like he always did.

“ Alright, fine. “ Dewey chuckled in agreement, not even going to argue with his younger brother for once. That seemed like a fair bargain by Louie standards.

“ Which reminds me we’ll have to tell Mrs.Beakley about the hole in the floor. And the bed. Hopefully she won’t ask how it happened. “ The eldest pointed out anxiously.

“ She left us alone in the manor to go play fight with Duckworth, honestly she can only blame herself. “ The green duckling replied, not worried in the slightest about the housekeeper’s wrath. She knew what she was getting into leaving them of all kids unsupervised. She was a grown woman who you should know better than to trust them like that.

 

Arriving into the entrance hall, the boys suddenly jumped at the unexpected slam of the entrance door being swung open by both their uncles and Launchpad who all looked worse for wear, to say the least.

“ Hey, you’re back ! “ Dewey called eagerly, rushing to his family’s side alongside his siblings. He stopped in his tracks when he finally registered just how badly beaten they all looked though, promptly asking with concern : “ Woah what happened to you ? “

Covered in dirt, leaves and a couple of bruises -not to mention their torn clothes- the adults seemed absolutely exhausted. The pilot was huffing and puffing as he dropped a rope tied to some gigantic stone circle laying flat on its side behind them. Judging by the tracks on the plane and in front of the mansion, they must’ve been dragging it out of the flying contraption to make it possible for Beakley and other workers to carry it to the bin.

“ I hope you’re not thinking of entering the house looking like that. “ Mrs.Beakley called from behind the triplets, advancing towards the group of adventurers with a disapproving scowl on her face.

“ Beakley ! Ah’m glad ye’re here. “ Scrooge greeted her. “ I think we’re gonna need a bit of help takin’ that thing to the bin and me and the lads are exhausted. We’ll be relying on ye tah help us out. “

“ And what exactly  _is_ that thing ? “ The old maid questioned, gazing skeptically at the heavy and probably useless stone carving they’d decided to bring back with them from their adventure. The kids were poking at it, climbing on it, trying to figure out what it was aside from an ancient stone donut.

“ Haha ! My good feathery friend... Let me present to ye the  _Hunka-Junka_. Rarest coin in the world and final piece in my personal collection of rare coins from around the world. Beautiful, isn’t it ? “

“ And ridiculously heavy. “ Donald added, not quite as excited as his uncle about the discovery. Beakley blinked in surprise, taken aback.

“ The Hunka-Junka ? “ She repeated, to make sure of what she’d heard. “ You mean the rarest coin in the world discovered three days ago in Waki-Waki Island ? “

“ Aye, did ye know about it ? “

“ Mr.McDuck, how much of that article did you read ? “

Feeling several warning flags raising up, the old duck nervously admitted under the curious gazes of everyone present : “ Well maybe I only read the title of the article an’ a wee bit of it, but it doesn’t matter now does it ? “

There was a pause, Scrooge tensed even more when he asked again : “ It does...? ” which earned him a profound sigh from the housekeeper. She pressed a hand against her face, trying to keep calm in spite of the circumstances.

“ If you’d read the entire thing you would’ve known the Hunka-Junka was taken home by the scientist who discovered it at the time. He carved the locals a giant replica of it out of stone in exchange for the real coin. That thing you brought back- “ she gestured towards the large stone waste of space on the ground. “ -Is only the fake he bought the real one with ! “

Another beat of silence passed after the revelation, the atmosphere growing quite tense all of a sudden.

“ Oh. Well now that’s... Certainly embarrassin’... “ The rich duck laughed awkwardly, feeling the heated glares of his nephew and Launchpad burning into his soul. Even the boys watched with a shared disappointed look on their face. It wasn't like they were really surprised though.

“ We did all that for nothing ?! “ Donald exclaimed in outrage, clenching his hands into fists when the anger began boiling withing his veins. His face turned red as he huffed and puffed, growling like a dog ready to pounce on someone. Scrooge took a few steps back, hands put up placatingly in front of him.

“ Now Donald, lad, hold on- I couldnae have known-! “

“ I think you better run, Uncle Scrooge. “ Louie advised, leaning onto the middle child’s shoulder with his arm.

“ It’s too late to go back now. “ Huey agreed firmly.

" You're pretty much done for. " Dewey confirmed. Scrooge gulped.

“ Why you- It’s always like that with you !! “ Donald cried out fiercely, launching at his uncle ready to rumble and getting the old duck on the run with a scared yelp.

While Scrooge ran in circles to escape the wrath of his nephew, spouting excuses and trying to use the housekeeper as a shield the triplets, Beakley and Launchpad all laughed in amusement at the scene as the sun shined down on them from the manor’s large windows towering above.

 

What a family that is the McDucks.

**Author's Note:**

> Wooh ! Definitely experimented a bit on this one with the dialogue, humor, action scenes and my very first time writing Scroogey. Needed a reason for the adults to be out of the house and thought it'd be a waste not to give them their own little adventure so there we go.
> 
> This is way longer than what I usually write. Still hoping it was a fun read though !


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